Usability Testing in Survey Research

Usability testing in survey research allows in-depth evaluation of how respondents and interviewers interact with questionnaires, particularly web and mobile surveys. A respondent may understand the survey question and response options, but may be unable to select their answer accurately on the small screen of a smartphone. Although there is a growing body of literature on best practices for web surveys and mobile devices, not all design guidelines work equally well for all surveys and all survey populations. In addition, it is clear that the capabilities of computerized surveys are constantly emerging. Examples are the use of images, videos, maps and GPS, interactive features, and mobile devices. As a result, it is critical for researchers to have the necessary tools to evaluate, test, and modify surveys to incorporate user-centered design in an iterative method as part of the survey pretesting process.

Instructors: Emily Geisen and Jen Romano Bergstrom

Emily Geisen, Senior Experience Management Scientist, Qualtrics
Emily specializes in designing user-friendly survey instruments to improve data quality and reduce respondent burden. Prior to Qualtrics, she spent 15 years at RTI International where she managed RTI’s cognitive/usability laboratory. She received her MS in Survey Methodology from the University of Michigan in 2004. She has 16 years of experience designing methodological research studies, developing and evaluating survey instruments, leading data collection tasks, managing projects, and performing statistical analyses using SAS. She is lead author of a 2017 book titled Usability Testing for Survey Research, published by Morgan Kaufmann. She was the 2017-2019 American Association for Public Opinion Research Membership and Chapter Relations chair, the 2010 conference chair for the Southern Association for Public Opinion Research (SAPOR), and the 2009–2011 secretary of the Survey Research Methods Section of the American Statistical Association.

Jen Romano Bergstrom, Experimental Psychologist; User Experience (UX) Research Lead, Facebook/Instagram
Jen has over 12 years of experience planning, conducting and managing user centered research projects. She is currently a UX Researcher at Facebook/Instagram, where she works to understand the UX of Facebook and Instagram in emerging markets. Jen specializes in efficient applications of empirical methods to ensure quality is not lost while working fast to get actionable results. In addition to being a skilled UX researcher and practitioner, Jen specializes in eye tracking, survey design, experimental design, and cognitive aging. Jen frequently presents research and novel methods at academic and industry conferences, and she publishes in peer-reviewed journals, magazines and blogs. She is co-author (with Emily) of Usability Testing for Survey Research (2017) and co-author/editor of Eye Tracking in User Experience Design (2014). She has served on User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) boards for several years – currently as the President of the International UXPA, and previously Director of Marketing and Communications, as well as President, Vice President, and Conference Chair for UXPA-DC. Jen received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Applied/Experimental Psychology from The Catholic University of America and a B.A. in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University.

This course will count as 7.0 CSS short course hours.

 
Registration will open 60 days prior to the class date. Please Note: The registration page works best if you use the Mozilla Firefox browser. Registrations will also not be accepted on or after 2/4/20. No Exceptions!